All of us have been affected in some way by the scourge of cancer! We’ve known someone stricken by this deadly disease, or you’ve been affected yourself. It strikes without warning, and leaves a wake of sick individuals, shaken families, extraordinary financial burdens and hardship in its wake. For me personally I have seen this disease strike friends and family. People young, middle aged and old were attacked by it. In some cases the battle was won. In some cases the fight goes on, through continuing health problems. In some cases the results were tragic!

Because of my direct personal experience, and because of my desire to help in some small way, I am committing to the fight in several ways.

First I have taken on the responsibility to head up a team who will be raising funds and participating in a Relay for Life event at the end of April.

Second I am personally donating funds to support the American Cancer Society (ACS) in the fight against this disease.

Third I am going to research this illness and periodically provide some resources, both on this blog and on my Relay team’s website about research going on and news in regards to cancer.

What I’d like to ask of each of you is to provide some support in this battle. Think of your own family and friends, neighbors or co-workers who may have been affected or currently are living with this disease. On April 30th – May 1st, 2011 my team and I will be participating in the Melbourne, Florida Relay for Life. We can use all the funds we can get. I know times are tough for everyone, but think of how much tougher they are for someone with cancer! I’d like to ask all of you to support our team by going to our Team Harris Site, and donating some money. Your donation is tax deductible and will greatly help those in need! Ask yourself, can you spare $5-10 dollars by skipping that Starbucks coffee or lunch at work one day? Can you spare $25-50, by cooking at home one night rather than eating out?

In addition, please tell your friends and family about these events and consider joining an event in your town. Or if one doesn’t yet exist, start up an event! Also please check out the resources below for some of the cutting edge news and research going on by universities, companies and not-for-profit organizations such as the American Cancer Society. Finally share this post with others and spread the word! Knowledge = Power!!!

“A new screening tool developed by scientists in Denmark may help detect the earliest stages of cancer by taking advantage of the body’s own defenses. The researchers constructed a microarray system that analyzes patients’ blood for a specific class of immune agents called autoantibodies. These are agents that attack the body’s own tissue, targeting what they perceive as “foreign” cells, such as specific molecules on the surface of tumors.” …

“Nearly 40 years since we declared war on cancer, how goes the campaign against this intractable and ancient adversary? As you will learn in this special edition, our enemy intelligence has improved over the years, enabling us to get a better bead on where the trouble begins. And we have developed stronger weapons, to more precisely pursue and annihilate diseased tissue.” …

Note: I personally have this issue and would HIGHLY recommend it! It has a lot of good research. If anyone can find a free copy online, let us know.